Happy Day with a Crossbill

Birders have got to be about as good a people as plant folks. For the last forty years I've enjoyed the company of interesting, amusing, bright and enthusiastic plant people on four continents and a couple of islands. We all seem to get a true lift of spirit from nurturing an unusual plant to thrive and bloom - and it's no good unless the experience is shared.

Rebutias purchased at a friendly plant show - the Central Coast Cactus & Succulent Society of SLO.



And after only a few years - I find it's the same with birders! In both my lives in California (Santa Barbara County 2005 - 2009 and San Luis Obispo County 2011 - ?) there have been supportive, active, amusing and sharp bird folks. And it's also no good unless shared. The Yahoo Groups SBCObirding and SLOCObirding are very connecting, alerting many to special and often very transitory birds.

Which brings me to being happy with cross bills, or better - Red Crossbills. Late morning today I read that Red Crossbills had been seen near the Interpretive Center at Montana de Oro State Park, only about five miles from where I live - and seventeen miles from where I was seated at work. Thirty-four miles round-trip, pick up my wife, find the bird, drop off Jeanne and back to work in a late hour for lunch? NO worries!

We found the birds right away, watched them for nearly fifteen minutes, then back to work. It made me very happy to see crossbills - a new bird for me!

One of about a dozen we counted.

A male and two female Red Crossbills 

Look close for the crossing bills.  

They were actively feeding on the Monterey Cypresses, with thousands of mature, reddish-brown, spherical cones.

You can imagine how the scissoring of crossed bills would easily tear into a closed cone.

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Sunrise Over the Morros

Los Osos enjoys a cool climate, frequently moderated by morning fog and thick clouds. This is rather seasonal, and when 'fog season' begins, its called "June Gloom" and sometimes when early "May Gray". I have not heard monikers for July and August. Or even September as the mornings have all been misty/foggy/cloudy - to the point of nearly drizzle.

NOT THIS MORNING!

 

Now this is the making of a GREAT DAY!



Shrouded Cross - Symbolism?

Since moving to Los Osos in May of 2011, I drive eleven absolutely stunning miles to work. First I head northward on the curving two-lane South Bay Boulevard, along the edge of Morro Bay's estuary,

A misty sunset at low-tide over the Morro Estuary.



then get on Hwy1 (CA-1 or the PCH for Pacific Coast Highway) eastward where the 'morros' (geologic volcanic plugs) stand as tall as 1,500' along the highway.



A view of Hollister Peak from the northern edge of the Estuary.  





When I arrive at work, I'm actually only 5 miles from home - as the crow would fly over the morros!

 

During my daily drive, I've noticed three crosses on a small knob above the Nazarene Church just before the estuary bridge leaving Los Osos. During Christian seasons, the crosses are draped with cloth of various colors. Puzzled as to reasons for those seasons and their colors, this Christian website set me straight.

"In most traditions, the sanctuary cross is draped in color only during Lent (purple), Good Friday (black), and Easter (white). Some churches leave white on the cross through Eastertide, drape the cross in red for Pentecost Sunday, and then leave the cross undraped until the beginning of Lent the next year."
 

 

 

However, driving past the church on this Labor Day morning, I was very surprised to find another adornment to the crosses: 

Now THIS seems like some real symbolism!

The Turkey Vultures seemed rather committed to their perch.

And kept a good look-out for their next carcass.

 

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Lookin' for a li'l bit of COLOR?

A couple of weeks ago a new friend of mine said I might want to stop by his house and take a look at some plants that were blooming.

 

Hell, I guess!

 

 

Paul's been growing tuberous begonias for quite a few years and appears to have the process pretty well in hand - wouldn't you agree?

 

 

He and his wife Laurel packed up many empty boxes, taped shut with cut-outs to carefully set the pots into and leave the plants plenty of room. Traveling to San Diego for the American Begonia Society Annual Convention and Show they had trouble with the nasty bumpy freeways in LA and made it with FORTY to enter, losing only two to the LA Freeways. They were the hit of the show, gathering ribbons galore. [psssst - don't tell Paul, but Laurel took BEST IN SHOW for her only entry.]

 

What he was showing me was the SECOND COMING - plants that he had started later to spread out his bloom time. Oh. Just in case you thought Paul might be into subtle plants at one time? His previous favorites were Dahlias!

 

Lola the Begonia Cat

Paul knows all the names, lineage and how a particular variety grows.

Me? I'm like a Crow, I just am attracted to shiny, colorful things.

A variety with amazingly few petals.

Small worktable = more space to grow great plants.

The range of colors is awesome.

Only one plant!

This one is so beautiful, I hate that it reminded me of sliced radishes.

 

Remember the Dahlias I mentioned that Paul grew before the bright and colorful tuberous begonias? They were the not-so-subtle Dahlias, like this one I found in a local nursery:



 So I s'pose you could say that Paul has bright colors in his DNA.

 

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